Recycle old holiday lights

Published: Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 1:04 p.m. CDT

The DeKalb County Health Department has partnered with Elgin Recycling for its second annual Holiday Lights Recycling Program. Last year, the Holiday Lights program collected 2,200 pounds of Christmas lights and related materials.

The program will run from Nov. 19, 2012 until Jan. 14, 2013. Lights that will be accepted for this program are mini-lights (or Italian lights), C7 lights, C9 lights, rope lights, LED lights, extension cords, etc.

Residents can drop off lights at any one of the following locations during normal operating hours: DeKalb County Health Department, 2550 N. Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb; DeKalb Park District Sports & Rec Center, 1765 S. Fourth St. in DeKalb; City of Genoa, 333 E. First St. in Genoa; DeKalb County Farm Bureau, 1350 W. Prairie Drive in
Sycamore; Screwballs T-Shirts and Signs, 125 E. Lincoln Highway in Waterman; City of DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth St. in DeKalb; and Sycamore Centre, 308 W. State St. in Sycamore.

Year after year, people test bulbs and replace fuses. When that doesn’t work, the lights often end up in the garbage. Through this program, DeKalb County can divert holiday lights that would have ended up in a landfill. Even these small contributions help reduce waste going into the landfill.

For more information, call Christel Springmire, solid waste/recycling coordinator, at 815-758-6673. You can also track holiday lights’ recycling progress at www.elginrecycling.com.